Barnwell to captain Guyana in C’bean Cup

Dec 06, 2011 Sports

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Sarwan frustrated by non-selection, Foo dropped

By Sean Devers
The Guyana 14-man squad to participate in January’s Caribbean Cup t20 cricket tournament in Antigua and Barbados has been named along with seven standbys and the players begin their encampment from Thursday at the Chetram Singh Centre of Excellence at LBI.
Experienced left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul is among the 14 picked for the competition which runs from January 9-22, but regular Guyana Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan has been ignored by the Rayon Griffith led selection panel despite claiming that he is now cleared to resume cricket.
The 31-year-old Sarwan who has 15 tons from 15 Tests and averages 43.41 in 173 ODIs was the only Guyanese to score a half-century in the 2010 Champions League in South Africa and his omission from the side, which will be captained by Chris Barnwell, is a strange one.
The elegant right-hander who missed out on the last West Indies tour to Bangladesh due to injury was in Florida before spending a week in Canada and is expected back home on December 12.
The right-hander on Monday said he was fit and available to represent Guyana in the 2012 Caribbean Cup.
“I spoke to the Guyana Cricket Board President Ramsay Ali and the head of the selectors (Rayon Griffith) informing them of my availability for the national team. It is always an honour to represent my country and I was very disappointed that due to injury I missed out in the recent Regional 50-over competition. I have been cleared to play by the medical people and I am at a loss as to why I have not been included in the squad,” Sarwan said from Canada yesterday.
The classy former West Indies Skipper also disclosed that an e-mail from the therapist at Memorial West Hospital located in Pembroke Pines, Florida who was working with his rehabilitation was sent to the GCB informing them that he was ready to resume cricket.
According to the therapist, Sarwan was suffering from radicular pain into his right buttocks region and received Physical Therapy that consisted of manual techniques, independent soft tissue mobilization, manual and self-active mobility, dynamic and static stretching, strengthening exercises and beginning plyometrics.
The therapist said that Sarwan has shown the ability to accept high level strengthening exercises, functional mobility exercises, and sport specific activities without evidence of back or radicular symptoms. He added that Sarwan has demonstrated an ability to tolerate stress that would appear comparable to his sport.
When contacted Griffith, a former Guyana pacer, said he was unaware of Sarwan’s medical status and informed that due to the deadline to name the team he was not selected in the squad.
The GCB on Monday also issued a release explaining the non-selection of Sarwan.
“Mr. Sarwan indicated to the GCB on the 12th of November 2011 by email that he will be traveling to the USA to seek further treatment for his injury and by his estimate he will be fit and ready to play cricket for Guyana by December 2nd if selected. He also indicated that he would be returning to Guyana on Monday December 12th. This information was relayed to the chairman of the senior selectors,” the GCB stated.
“However the selectors are unsure about the injury issues affecting Mr. Sarwan, especially since he was not able to play any cricket in the recent T20 Carib/Pepsi Tournament, which was used to select the T20 team to represent Guyana in the upcoming Regional Tournament in January 2012. They have also indicated that Mr. Sarwan should make himself available to participate in the upcoming GCB national trial matches, training sessions and encampment for the selection of Guyana’s 4-Day team to compete in the Regional 4-Day Tournament which starts on February 3 next year,” the GCB added.
The GCB believes that Sarwan is still a very integral part of cricket both in Guyana and the West Indies and looks forward to his return to competitive cricket for both Guyana and the West Indies.
Sarwan said the manner in which the GCB is treating him is very frustrating since he believes that non-cricketing reasons are being used to stifle his career by people who might be annoyed that he speaks out on issues affecting West Indies cricket.
The right-hander from the Island of Wakanaam in the Essequibo River said he missed the Carib/Pepsi National t20 competition because he was still undergoing treatment for his injury but wanted to participate in the final.
The tournament rules prevented any player from playing in the final without being involved in the preliminary round, while despite the delay in getting back home earlier, Sarwan says he was hoping that he would have been involved to help the younger players.
In the last 50-over competition Sarwan was named in the squad with Travis Dowlin who was put on stand by, taking his place when he was deemed unfit.
Sarwan reasoned that now that he was much fitter than in October, he would have thought that even if the selectors did not believe that he was fit they could have done the same thing and asked him to do a fitness test when he returned and if he failed then drop him.
Sarwan, an executive member of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) is also hurt by the GCB release publicly telling him to make himself available for the four-day trials.
‘I am a senor player who has been playing for Guyana at this level since I was 15 and they are treating me like a little boy who is now trying to make the team,” he said with plenty of emotion.
Jonathon Foo, who had a ban for indiscipline lifted by his club Albion in time for him to participate in the Carib/Pepsi final day action last Sunday, has struggled for his country since his match winning performances in the 2010 Caribbean Cup which Guyana won and has not gained selection.
The Chairman of selectors confirmed that Foo was not selected in the 21-man squad because of his lack of runs in the Champions League in South Africa, in this year’s Caribbean Cup T20 and in the recent Regional Super50.
Devendra Bishoo, Chanderpaul, Sewnarine Chattergoon and Narsingh Deonarine are the players in the Guyana side with test experience, while Delon Heyliger and Rajiv Ivan are the players selected for the Guyana senior side for the first time.
Leon Johnson and Royston Crandon have represented the West Indies in ODI cricket, while Barnwell and Derwin Christian have played t20 Internationals for the West Indies. West Indies ‘A’ team Skipper Veerasammy Permaul is the Vice-Captain.
Guyana, who has won two of the four regional T20 competition, with T&T winning the others, face the Leeward Islands from 20:00hrs under lights in their opening match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on January 9.
The Guyana team read: Christopher Barnwell (Captain), Veerasammy Permaul (v/Capt.), Trevon Griffith, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Leon Johnson, Royston Crandon, Steven Jacobs, Derwin Christian, Devendra Bishoo, Dillon Heyliger, Rajiv Ivan and Ronsford Beaton.
Reserves: Rajendra Chandrika, Keon Joseph, Eon Hooper, Vishal Singh, Anthony Bramble, Elton Baker, Deon Ferrier

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